Chapter Two: The Black Sheep

"Blackfire? Why is she sending you a letter?" Robin was the first to respond to the news. All the other Titans, with the exception of Raven, were equally surprised by the news broken to them. "What'd she write?"

"Just that she is going to be finding a place to stay on Earth. Here…" Starfire said as she handed the letter over to Robin for him to read more thoroughly. The other three Titans gathered around Robin to join in on the reading.

"Now that I have your attention Starfire, I'm sure you're wondering whom this is from. Well…you probably already knew from the handwriting on the envelope you just didn't want to admit that your dear sister is on Earth once again. I assure you that it is true and I'm going to be taking up residence on this little planet – you robbed me of my home, I figured it was only fair to make your home a little less enjoyable. Now don't panic just yet and don't give yourself that much credit. I'm on Earth more because I actually enjoyed this place not because I wanted to get back at you. Personally, I'd rather just get as far away from you as possible and forget about it…but this seems like a much more enjoyable option for me. Say 'hi' to the gang for me would you? That's all for now, I'll be seeing you all very shortly. Love, Blackfire"

"So uh, what are we going to do?" Beast Boy finally spoke up after yet another lengthy period of silence.

"There's…not much we can do at the moment. It's not like she's done anything illegal yet, just made a very vague and idle threat," Robin answered as he tossed the letter onto the nearby coffee table. "Besides, I don't think we have anything to be worried about. After all, Starfire beat her one-on-one when Blackfire had that gem thing, there's no way that Blackfire can beat all five of us if she tried to start."

"True, but bear in mind she's already gotten inside the tower once before without any of us noticing and she just delivered a letter without getting spotted. She could just as easily do it again," Raven pointed out to the others. The first time Blackfire showed up she had gotten all the way into the living room without even so much as setting off an alarm. Cyborg nodded his agreement before all eyes turned to Starfire since this was her sister they were dealing with.

"I suppose it's your call what to do about this Star," Robin said, though Starfire wasn't certain of what to do about the situation either.

"Blackfire is of no concern," Starfire finally answered after a short pause to think about it. "If she wants to create trouble then let her, we will easily stop her when she does."

"If you don't mind me saying this out loud…"

"We mind everything you say out loud," Raven promptly interrupted Beast Boy, who just glared harshly back to Raven.

"As I was saying. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this…"

"That's usually the case."

"Okay, would you stop that Raven?" The other Titans couldn't help but chuckle under their breath. "Anyways…I was about to say that it seems like Blackfire is holding a much bigger grudge against you that just for the whole banishment thing. Nobody ever really asked but…why did she try to frame you the first time around?"

"Well…uh…" Starfire tried to answer but found difficulty getting the right words out. It had been a while since she has had to think about her sister. The rivalry between them was obvious but Starfire always had trouble understanding why that was the case. It seemed to be a lot more than just a regular sibling rivalry, which usually don't involve fights over sovereignty.

"Do you smell something burning?" Raven spoke up once more.

"Agh! The waffles!" Beast Boy and Cyborg shot up from the couch and bolted to the kitchen.

"I don't smell anything," Robin commented after taking a moment to smell the air.

"Neither did I, I just figured Starfire would prefer not to answer the question."

"That's correct. I…do not wish to discuss the topic of my sister at the moment. If you will both excuse me, I am going to get some fresh air," Starfire excused herself and headed out of the living room. Both Raven and Robin could tell that something was still amiss with their teammate, but neither of them was going to press further at the moment.

"Phew, just managed to save them," Beast Boy said triumphantly, smiling quite proudly to himself. "So without further ado, breakfast is served."

"That's great Beast Boy, um…Starfire won't be joining us. She said she wasn't feeling very hungry," Robin explained as he headed over to the dining table to eat.

"That just means more for us. What about Raven?"

"What do you mean what about Raven?" Robin asked as he glanced back to where Raven should've been only to find that he was the only other occupant. "I…guess she's not interested either." Robin thought it was unusual, even for Raven, to just disappear like that just before breakfast. Wherever she went, Robin figured that Raven knew what she was missing. He had a feeling that Starfire and Raven's departure was not an unrelated event.

Starfire retreated to the isolation of the rooftop. The others would be busy with breakfast for a while so that left plenty of time for Starfire to think things over. The letter was a…troubling turn of events despite what she told the others. She did not like having to fight her sister but it seemed to be an unavoidable turn of events. However, that was not the big thing that was on her mind, it was something else in the letter that was subtly placed so that only Starfire would understand the message. She leaned up against the railing and gazed out to the ocean before letting out a quiet sigh to herself. However, it was much sooner than she had expected when one of her teammates joined her on the roof – Raven.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" she asked calmly as she walked over to the railing and stood next to her.

"Which part?"

"You could start with the little part that was written on the back that the others didn't notice. Your sister made reference to something important tomorrow – what is it?"

"Tomorrow would be the anniversary of my parents' death. They died a long time ago and every year my sister and I would meet at their graves to pay our respects. Even when she was traveling around the galaxy when we were older, she always returned home on that day. This would be my first time I won't be home for it and I believe Blackfire is instead going to come to me just to continue the tradition."

"You sounded rather confident a few minutes ago about dealing with Blackfire. Were you just lying to us back then?"

"No. I know I can handle Blackfire if she tries to start a fight. The problem is I do not know if she will try to start a fight. If she really does wish to observe the anniversary it would be very disrespectful to treat her with hostilities…but I also do not wish to put my guard down and have her take advantage of the situation." Starfire was actually deeply concerned with this predicament. To treat her sister with hostility on such an important date felt like it would disrespecting her parents but she did not see her sister abiding by such a moral code. "What would you do Raven?"

"Personally I wouldn't trust your sister or even give her the opportunity. You two aren't really the best of pals after all."

"I know…it was not always like this. We used to get along so well when we were younger…"

"Or she could've just been bottling up her feelings up around you."

"What makes you say that?" Starfire asked curiously, since she didn't really consider any of the other Titans to know a great deal about her sister.

"I've listened to her poetry if you remember. Nobody that's open about their feelings would be able to produce poetry that dark. I figured it wasn't important at the time, but from I could interpret, she houses a lot of resentment towards you and pretty much everyone that she's known."

"I didn't realize that you had such skills of people Raven."

"I don't, your sister made it pretty obvious to me. I think she was actually beginning to like me."

"Did you like her more than me?"

"Back then? Probably would've if it weren't for the turn of events. But a lot of time has passed since then and I've…learned to appreciate you more." Starfire just stared at Raven for a moment with the sort of stare that a puppy gives a high-pitched noise. "That's a compliment if you haven't realized it yet."

"I did…I just did not expect one at this moment. Tell me Raven, if her poetry revealed some truth that she has not shown me, why is my sister so angry with me?"

"You honestly don't know?" Raven replied as she quirked an eyebrow in puzzlement. Starfire just shook her head in response. "Your sister is older than you and yet you were made next in line for the throne. Just think about it." Raven concluded their little 'chat' and headed back inside to leave the Tamaranean alone to her thoughts and to ultimately come up with her own decision about how to handle Blackfire.

Starfire remained on the rooftop for a few hours before finally returning to her room to continue thinking things over. For years Starfire thought she had her sister generally figured out but now it seemed that even Raven had a better understanding of Blackfire than her. But it couldn't have been as simple as Raven had put it…or could it? All the years that Starfire had known her sister, none of it would suggest that Blackfire was hateful towards Starfire over something so simple as the throne. It might have been one reason but Starfire was certain there still had to be more about it than Raven was telling her. It was entirely possible that Raven was just giving Starfire enough information so she would start the right chain of thought and figure things out on her own.

Unfortunately, all those hours of contemplation had left little time for Starfire to eat and her train of thought was rudely interrupted when her stomach sounded its protest.

"Perhaps something to eat will help make this process easier," Starfire sighed softly before she decided to head into the city to eat instead of just heading to the kitchen. She still needed some time on her own…plus she still didn't know how to tell Robin about what Blackfire might be planning tomorrow. She knew Robin wouldn't give Blackfire the benefit of the doubt, even for Starfire's sake, and that might make any possibility of a peaceful day difficult. Was it so foolish of her to be thinking that the possibility of reconciliation was still feasible?

"Why can't these decisions be simpler to make? I could try and show my sister that there is no reason to continue such hostilities against me and perhaps we could find a more peaceful solution to our…rivalry. But…she might just laugh at me and just start trouble anyways and then Robin and the others would get upset at me for even trusting my sister." Starfire had been debating the situation with herself for the better part of an hour at the small little dinner she had chosen to eat at. Thankfully there weren't many people there at the moment so there were not many people bothered by her constant debating. A large ice cream sundae sat on the table in front of her as the last course of her meal, though the debate had heated up in the past few minutes leaving her too preoccupied to eat once again.

"She has given me no reason to trust her. She has already tried to frame me for her crimes and marry me to a giant booger in order to get herself more power…but she has also done a lot for me when we were younger. She had always been there when I needed help…well almost always. Oh…I wish to trust my sister once more but all the reasons are telling me not to. I do not know what to do…" Starfire whispered in defeat, palming both hands over her face and sighed.

"My vote is go with your gut instincts but…well, my opinion might be a little biased," a familiar voice perked up, snapping Starfire's attention. She looked across the table to the new occupant sitting across from her.

"Komand'r!"

"I told you that I'd be seeing you soon," Blackfire smirked as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "I take it you've spent the past several hours struggling with this little debate?"

"I have. Do you really intend to pay respect to ours parents with me tomorrow?"

"No, I plan to use the day as an excuse to get close to you and your friends and when you drop your guard I plan to cause as much destruction as possible. Leaving you not only guilt-ridden for trusting me but conflicted about fighting me on the anniversary of our parents' deaths." Starfire just stared at Blackfire in disbelief for a moment before Blackfire just chuckled and grabbed a spoon to help herself to some of the sundae. "I'm just kidding sis. I'd be lying if I said that the thought hasn't crossed my mind once or twice but I have more respect for our parents than that."

"I am surprised sister. I was expecting you to be more…angry at me."

"Why? Cause you banished me from my home?"

"Well…yes."

"I am."

"Really?"

"Very much so."

"Then why are you not attempting to pummel me?"

"Because I'd lose and my pride is still recovering from the last bout. Besides…even if I did succeed in beating the daylights out of you, what would that accomplish me apart from an overwhelming sense of accomplishment?"

"You mean there was more to your previous actions that just revenge?"

There was a definite pause of silence, whether it was because Blackfire was eating some of the sundae or just absorbing Starfire's comments was unknown at the moment. "Your naivety never ceases to amaze me sis."

"Then what were your other motivations?"

Blackfire just shook her head slowly. "If I told you know, I would be robbing you of a very important life lesson and probably a few hours of amusement for myself. Besides, I believe you have a much more important topic to focusing your thoughts on."

"I do not believe the others would agree to it."

"They also don't understand you like I do sister. They don't realize how important this would be to you and I doubt they'd care how much it means to me as well. I know they're your friends but every so often you need to do what you believe is right for yourself."

"Do you really mean that?"

"I'm your sister, of course I do."

"That does not give me much reassurance."

"And it shouldn't. You have no real reason to trust me apart from the fact I've always respected our parents over our little rivalry." There was another pause of silence between the siblings as Starfire thought things over once more. Her sister did have a point, though an odd one at that. Blackfire was smart…she would know exactly what to say to get Starfire to agree with her, so it was a matter of tweezing out the manipulations from the truths. "By the way, what is this thing called anyways?"

"A chocolate fudge sundae."

"I could get used to this planet…"

"Robin, would it possible for me to have an exchange of words with you?" Starfire asked as she stood behind the couch where Robin was sitting. Robin was preoccupied with playing a game with Beast Boy but the moment he heard his friend's voice he paused the game and looked back to Starfire.

"Hey Star, when did you get back? What'd you want to talk about?"

"And could you two make it quick, I'm only three laps from beating Robin's butt for the third time in a row," Beast Boy added though the other two promptly ignored his request.

"I'm afraid I was not totally honest about my sister earlier today. I know I said that it was of no concern but it has been a very large one to me. I did not want to get you involved just yet because I needed to deal with this matter on my own."

"And what 'matter' would that be?" Robin asked, a bit curious and suspicious.

Starfire took a few deep breaths to mentally prepare herself for breaking the news to Robin. It had to be worded just right or Robin might freak out. "Tomorrow is a day of great importance to me and to my sister. It is the anniversary of our parents' deaths and we have always found time to pay respect to them. Normally we would return to Tamaran to do so but as you know Blackfire would not be allowed to go back home. It involves a small ceremony that is held at the home and since I am staying on Earth for this year…my sister wishes to join me here to pay respects."

"Whoa…hold the phone there Starfire!"

"What phone? I am not calling anybody."

"I didn't mean…oh nevermind," Robin tried to collect his thoughts after having them sent for a bit of a spin by the news. "Let me get this straight, you're sister is asking to come into the tower for some ceremony?"

"That's correct. I know this is a lot to ask but she promised me she would set aside our differences for this day. It would mean very much to me if you let met me do this," Starfire began her campaign of reasoning with Robin, who could be as stubborn as a mule some days.

"You're actually going to trust her?" Beast Boy said, throwing his two cents into the debate. "She's done nothing but lie to you ever since she came to Earth the first time. She tried to marry you off to a giant booger, remember?"

"I have taken that into account Beast Boy, but this is a tradition between my sister and I. This might be an opportunity to heal the rift between us as well. And…she also needs a place to stay until tomorrow," Starfire added with a nervous smile. It was tough enough asking the first part, but to also ask for Blackfire to stay the night was even worse. Robin and Beast Boy were both taken back by this new request.

"Are you crazy Star? It's bad enough wanting to let her inside for a few hours but to let her in overnight is just nuts. Its way too risky…she's just going to use the occasion as a way to get close to you and then she'll just wait for you to drop your guard and then POW!" Robin was vocalizing his protest to the request quite enthusiastically, much to Starfire's dismay. It seemed she would not be able to appeal to his sense of reasoning or their friendship. Starfire couldn't get angry with him for it though; he was merely thinking about the safety of the team, including Starfire. However, Starfire was equally adamant to her side of the argument.

"Perhaps I am a bit crazy by your standards but I am not going to disrespect my parents by denying this. My sister will be joining me tomorrow."

"And I'm saying no. I am not going to let Blackfire take one step into this tower!"

"About that…" Starfire started but was interrupted when Cyborg suddenly burst through the doors with a panicked expression on his face.

"Robin! Blackfire's right outside in the hallway!" Cyborg announced, pointing towards the doorway where Blackfire had just stepped into view. She smirked and just waved to the other Titans. Robin glared back to Starfire who was grinning nervously once more.

"Eh-heh…I've…already told Blackfire she could stay."